2 eaglets in U.S. Steel nest take first flights: "An incredible milestone"

The eaglets in the U.S. Steel nest are starting to fledge, with two of them recently taking their first flights above the Monongahela River.  

A livestream camera at the nest captured the moments Sid fledged shortly after 8 p.m. on Friday, followed by sibling Maz around 6 a.m. on Monday.

The video shows Sid take a leap before launching off the tree branch, flying in a circle around the nest as siblings Maz and Hutch watch. Before Maz's first flight a few days later, the eaglet hopped from one branch to another before spreading its wings and taking off. 

PixCams, which runs the livestream of the nest, posted to social media after Maz fledged, writing, "What an incredible milestone after weeks of watching this young eagle grow from a tiny eaglet into a powerful juvenile ready to take to the skies. Congratulations, Maz! Your first flight marks the beginning of an amazing new adventure."

Cameras at the nest have let viewers watch parents Stella and Irvin raise their three eaglets, which are the ninth, 10th and 11th to be born at U.S. Steel's Irvin Plant in West Mifflin. It's Stella's second year at the nest, which was built in 2019. Last year, Stella and Irvin raised their first chick Ocho together. 

There were some scary moments at the nest earlier in the spring when viewers watched one of the eaglets, then just named USS 11, swallow a fishhook. Because the injury had a human cause, wildlife rescuers were allowed to remove the eaglet, perform surgery and return it. 

A camera is also trained at an eagle nest in Pittsburgh's Glen Hazel neighborhood, but both eaglets in the nest died in May from suspected bird flu.